Gladesbale Grove [druid, litrpg, town building, slice of life, cozy]

Rud was delighted to see more adventurers in the longhouse the next morning. This group had five members that seemed filled with classical roles. It was clear they were from Sparwyn by the way they acted, all manners and politeness around the denizens of the grove. While they could understand both Taz and Rud, the other spirits were incomprehensible to them.

"We thank you for this bounty," a muscular elven woman said, bowing her head. She wore heavy plate armor that was scarred and pitted from too many battles. Although his senses were developing, Rud still couldn't get a read on the rank of people. "More than anything, we would like to take part in this bath."

"We read it on the sign," a diminutive person said. Rud didn't recognize their race. They were like a thin, un-bearded version of a dwarf. Less blustering, though.

"I would be glad to prepare a bath for you," Rud said, performing a bow. "Have you had a chance to browse the shop?"

A cat-dude held up a jar of tea. "We have," he said with a smile.

"Most excellent, good sir." Rud bowed again. He could feel the progress shooting up in his Custodianship skill. "The bath should be ready in a half-hour."

The druid excused himself from the longhouse, taking a bowl of soup with him. He spooned the soup into his mouth, munching as he worked on the fire. The water was boiling in moments, emitting clouds of steam that rose from the boiler building. Half-way through the process, his Custodianship skill jumped to Level 3. Two more levels, and he would get an upgrade for the skill. Yeehaw.

Filling the tub was easy enough, and he returned to the longhouse before long. Performing an elaborate bow, Rud gestured out the door. "Please use the free houses for as long as you need. We'll have some more trail mix in the shop soon enough."

"Thank you, spirit," the elven leader said, performing the sign of respect. She left with the rest of her party, no doubt going to enjoy the amazing bath.

On a day like today, nothing would be better than an extended bath. Since the water didn't lose its heat as quickly as mundane water, they could enjoy it for hours upon hours before the edge of heat dulled. Rud waited for everyone in the party to shuffle out of the massive longhouse before he rubbed his hands together, giggling to himself like an idiotic villain.

"Are you good, Rud?" Taz asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. They're gonna leave so much junk for me."

"They seemed happy. Happier than normal."

"Rud has the Custodianship skill," Major said, standing up from his position on the ground and yawning. "Perhaps that means it's easier for him to make people happy."

"Something like that," Rud said, stretching.

"Say, I saw some strange trees with cloth tied around them this morning," Taz said, getting Rud's attention before he left. "What's up with that?"

"Oh! Those are diseased trees," Rud said with a laugh. "Chop those down if you see them. But, uh… Tell me how many you chopped so I can regrow them."

"I'm very proud of you, Rud," Ban said, her voice filling the minds of all those gathered. A sensation of intense warmth spread through his body. "That was a great idea."

"Nulsa is doing all the work," Rud said. "That's one hard-working owl."

"I can pitch in," Taz said with a shrug. "When I have the time."

"We'll take a break today, Rud. I'll see how your plan to mark and remove the trees goes. This might be a better method."

"I am fueled by praise," Rud said, feeling bolstered. Holding that feeling in his chest, Rud left the others to whatever it was they were doing today. He found a few trees marked by Nulsa and smiled to himself. The owl had ripped strips of red cloth, somehow tying them around several trees. "Ya did a good job, owl."

Although Rud half-expected the owl to emerge from nowhere, commenting on the quality of the knots he tied, he didn't appear. The druid was left to consider the best way to fell the trees while understanding the implications of negative energies. As always, the key would be to understand it through the lens of plant-based magical energy.

Without focusing on anything in particular, the druid went through the grove. Nulsa might have been excellent at detecting which tree was diseased and which was clean, but Rud placed a stone at the base of each he confirmed to be clear. This would help Ban when she was selecting which trees to integrate into her grid. With the use of his Prune spell, he made quick work of the diseased ones, switching to Plant Growth to regrow them in moments. The result was a targeted use of the Sacred Tree's grid building. She targeted only the ones that were clean, coming through behind him to accept as many as she could.

From the corner of his eye, Rud spotted a deer limping in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, ensuring it wasn't some staggered way of moving through the rough terrain before making his approach. These critters were his responsibility. He activated his Clear Communication ability before approaching with caution.

"Hey, bud," Rud said, waving at the deer. It was a doe, if he had to guess. The little brown and white beast didn't have any antlers, anyway.

The creature bowed its head as he approached, almost pressing its nose to the ground. "Greetings."

Rud puffed up. "So formal! Are you injured?"

The deer kept its head low, nodding.

"May I look?"

With the doe's agreement, Rud approached and knelt by the wounded critter. He took the hoof in his hands, looking over the wound. An insect had its jaws clamped on the deer's flesh. Something a tick would do, but the bug was different. It had a segmented body—three parts—with two legs on each part. It was the same color as the deer's fur, making it hard to see… if it wasn't so big. The druid hesitated before removing it.

"Anyone know anything about biting bugs?" Rud said, turning to the forest.

Mint appeared a moment later. The deer lowered its head even more, now pressing its nose to the mossy ground. "Bah! I hate bugs…"

"Do you recognize this one?" Rud asked, holding the deer's leg up for her to see.

"While I'm sure it has a proper name in some bestiary, I've heard them called Aiswyn Biters," Mint said, lowering her head to get a better look. "You cannot pull it out without harming her."

The deer whimpered.

"Any idea how to get it out?" Rud asked.

"Pray to the spirits for a solution. River may have a solution."

Rud nodded, closing his eyes. River was the… River Spirit, or the Aspect of Cleansing. That spirit gave out healing spells, so it made sense. He sent a mental prayer through the grove, asking River to help him get rid of these nasty little bugs. For the first time, he felt something reaching back to him. A shiver of recognition fell over the grove, the leaves in the boughs above fluttering in a sudden breeze. A moment later, a message appeared.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

[Spell Obtained!]

The Cleansing Spirit River has taken notice of you. He has gifted you with the Nature's Banishment spell.

"Thanks, River!" Rud shouted at the sky. The deer startled a bit, but remained where it was. "Sorry about that."

"What did she gift you?" Mint asked.

Rud cleared his throat, reading the description of the spell.

[Nature's Banishment]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Healing Magic

Mana Cost:

50

Description:

Send parasitic infestations packing.

Effect:

Removes all parasitic infestations from the target.

The target becomes more resistant to this parasite in the future.

"I have four spells from River. She must really like me." Rud struck a proud pose.

"Use the spell, Rud," Mint said, nodding to the insect. "And crush the biter once it is loose."

Rud cracked his knuckles, gripping his staff as he took a few steps back. He focused on the bug, casting his Nature's Banishment spell. Swirling lines of green light poured forth from his staff, soaking into the place where the parasite latched on and rushing through the deer's body. The moment the bug fell to the ground, he stomped it several times. A message appeared after he cast the spell.

[Nature's Banishment]

Aiswyn Biter removed from Aiswyn Deer.

Burrowing Worms removed from Aiswyn Deer.

Corrupting Bacteria removed from Aiswyn Deer.

Creeping Infection removed from Aiswyn Deer.

The deer raised and lowered its head a few times. "Great spirit of the forest," it said. "I owe you my life."

"All in a day's work!" Rud said, smacking the deer on the rump. It dashed off into the forest. When the deer was far enough away, he cast a horrified look at Mint. "That thing had a lot of parasites. Biters, worms, bacteria, and an infection."

"Are you certain?"

"That's what my message said when I cast the spell."

Mint hummed to herself. "Cast it on me."

Rud shrugged, casting the spell on his friend. A moment later, the message appeared.

[Nature's Banishment]

There are no parasitic infections to remove.

"You're clean."

"Thank the spirits," Mint said with a sigh of relief. "But this is concerning… The weather has been so cold, I never assumed we'd see biters."

Rud scratched his chin. The deer population within the grove was growing, since the deer outside knew they could come in here to stay safe. Packs of wolves even used the grove to stay safe, since there was a rule against fighting. Perhaps the increase in game and predator population led to an increase in the parasites.

"I'm guessing we have a lot of critters in the grove," Rud said, shaking his head. "And it falls to me to heal each one."

"You wouldn't complain about increasing your Healing Magic skill, would you?" Mint asked with a toothy wolf-smile. "We can help, of course. Major! Get your fluffy butt over here."

Major appeared from the bushes a minute later. He shuffled over, snorting at Mint. "What is it?"

"You need to help Rud take a count of our current beast population. Might be time to send some packing if we can't get the parasites under control."

Just for his own peace of mind, Rud cast his new spell on Major. He got the same message about there being no infections on the bear. At least there was that…

"I can create a building for this," Ban said, speaking into their minds. "You would get an animal husbandry skill for your subclass, Rud."

"Are you sure about that?" Rud asked. "Can't have you passing out for a few days while you make the building."

"I'm eager to try something new."

Rud shook his head. He had to remember that Ban was just as young as he was in this world. While she was wise, she didn't know how everything worked. This was an experiment for her, meaning it might not go well. But how else would they grow? He played the conversation out in his head. The conversation that ended with her winning and him giving in to whatever she wanted. Because come on. She was a giant, awesome tree. Who wouldn't?

"Let's go!" Rud shouted, pumping his fists in the air. "What's the technique?"

Ban laughed, and Mint shook her head.

"I'll attempt to siphon power from my network directly into the building. This should give me a break. Maybe."

Ban could make just about any building, it seemed. Rud suspected it was tied to which spirit was willing to offer their aspect for that building. Each building held an effigy and an aspect, and he thought he knew which spirit would lend their power for this one.

"You should be fine, Ban," Mint said. "I find it unlikely we'll experience another dungeon while you're out. If it does, we can defend you."

"I'll get started…"

"Although I have to doubt the usefulness of a husbandry building," Rud said, clicking his tongue. "The best option would be an upgrade that lets me track the animals."

"We can hope," Major said, sighing. "The problem is, I don't speak deer."

That was a tough nut to crack. The deer didn't run from Rud because he could speak their language. They didn't run from Mint because she was a powerful spirit wolf. But Major was a dire bear, which would've been far more intimidating than any of the others. They would simply need to learn not to run when they spotted a massive bear rushing toward them. Yeah. Good plan.

"Let's head out," Rud said, shifting into his squirrel form and jumping on Major's back. "Onward! We have deer to deworm!"

"When you put it like that…" Major shuffled into the nearest bush. They appeared somewhere in the southwest region of the grove. A pond stretched before them, bordered on all sides by trees. A stream trickled into it, pushing a layer of algae around on the surface. "There. I see the deer come here for water."

Rud dismounted, finding the nearest tree to jump from and gliding to the far side of the pond. He landed—still with his Clear Communication upgrade activated. "Deer. How are you?"

The group of five deer looked up, water dripping from their mouths. One deer broke off from the group, approaching and bowing its head. Adorning its head was a head of antlers, stretching far above. "Great forest spirit," the stag said.

"Here's the deal," Rud said, spreading his arms wide. "You guys are infested with diseases for some reason. Don't worry too much. We have a two-phase plan to make sure all the deer are happy and healthy."

"What would you ask of us, great forest spirit?"

"First phase: let me heal you." Rud shrugged. "That's the easy part. Do you have any command over the other deer in the grove?"

"They might listen to me," the deer said.

Rud clicked his tongue. This deer was far better at talking than most forest critters. Perhaps these deer were longer-lived, meaning they had more time to become intelligent. Unlike squirrels, which were as likely to fall from a tree in their early age as they were to make it to old age…

"Allow me to inspect you," Rud said, shifting into his true form. The deer bowed its head, allowing the druid to search him over. "Yep. You've got a few biters. Guessing your friends do, too… Have you recently moved into a new area? Passed through something unfamiliar, perhaps?"

"Not that I can recall."

"Okay. Gotcha." Rud clapped his hands together, waiting for his mana to restore a bit before he got to work.

At least the deer were easy to work with. Cleaning this population of their parasites would be difficult, but not as bad as the squirrels or badgers. Those things were going to be a pain. He just knew it. Once each of the deer were cleared of their illness, Rud made the stag repeat his orders. The deer would report to Ban's clearing, where the druid would heal them. Any deer that didn't do this was subject to a culling. Mint's words.

"I am constructing the new building." Ban's voice flooded into Rud's mind. It was strained, but she wasn't asleep. The new building was likely not enough to put her to sleep.

"Take it easy, lady," Rud said, wincing at the thought of her going out of her way to make things easier for them. "No need to strain yourself for us…"

"A new rank means new strength. I must grow into my new rank."

"She's pushing pretty hard," Major said, lumbering to the water's edge. "But I'm wondering how these animals are getting so sick."

Rud nodded. Each had at least three different parasitic infections. "Bad water, maybe? My idea was that there are too many of them. We basically need to track and support our population of animals. Otherwise, they're all gonna waste away. Especially if winter is coming."

"I'm uncertain," Major said, gazing off over the pond. "Come. Let's find more deer to cure."

Rud lingered by the shore of the pond for some time before turning away. His job description hadn't changed. But as new things came to light, he had to adapt to that role. If this was his old life, he would have complained. Now, as the Custodian of Gladesbale Grove, he faced the challenge with a smile on his face. "Let's do it."